Gone and Back Again
by em1ly007
Summary: When the Library disappears again, Jake and Cassandra are the only ones left to get it back. Their attempts prove worthless, but when someone enters the Library with the ability to get it back, what will our LITs do? Jassandra fic
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first Librarians story and first story ever for this site. I would love to hear what you think!

The library was gone; again. One moment Flynn and Baird were walking into the main library and the next moment the Back Door slammed shut. Any attempt to reach the Library failed. "I've reset it five times," Jake complained, "it's not working!"

"Maybe it's just a glitch. I'm sure Mr. Jenkins can fix it easily when gets back." Cassandra remarked from the table in the center of the annex.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," said a familiar voice from the entrance, "you see I've sent that coward away."

"Dulaque," Jake glowered, "I thought you were dead?" Jake stepped closer to the table were Cassandra stood, putting himself between her and the mad man at their door.

"Oh, I assure you, Mr. Stone, I'm not dead. I've merely been waiting for my chance to bring magic back into the world." Dulaque grinned.

"Well, that's not gonna happen," laughed Jake, "the Library is gone."

"So it looks like we can't help you." Cassandra added. They watched Dulaque process the information as he took a few steps toward the back door; unfortunately, he didn't look worried.

"Then it's a good thing I have the secrets to bringing back the Library right here in this book." He held up a small red book marked with a snake on the cover. "All I need is the special magic owned by a person in this very room."

"You mean me," replied Cassandra.

"Yes my dear girl, I mean you. The one whose curse is her greatest weapon." Dulaque studied a book on the desk he stood by then looked back at Cassandra. "And all you have to do is a little bit of math." Dulaque smiled devilishly.

Cassandra thought over their options: Ezekiel was gone on a mission so, who knew when he would be back; Jenkins was missing thanks to Dulaque; Flynn and Baird were trapped inside the Library; and Jake was a quick thinker, but there was no bright side to this situation. Without her, Flynn and Baird and Jenkins may never come back to the annex.

Jake watched Dulaque carefully. He could tell this deal wasn't good. Cassandra was great when it came to math, but he still worried about her pushing the limits. Mind racing, Jake searched for a plan, an idea, anything to keep Cassandra safe.

"I'll do it," Cassandra confirmed stepping in front of him, so much for safe.

"Cassie, no!" Jake protested. He grabbed her hand to stop her.

"It's the only way to save our friends."

"No, you're not doing this," he took her other hand, "we don't know how big this is. This math could be bigger than the Labyrinth. Remember the last time? What if-"

"Jake," her use of his first name stopped his rant. "This is our only option. You have to trust me. I can do this." Cassandra squeezed his hand in reassurance.

"I do." Jake answered. "I always have." He nodded once and she put her hand on his cheek in a silent thank you.

"Does this mean we have a deal?" Dulaque inquired, annoyed.

"Yes," claimed Cassandra as she turned to him. She released Jake's hands to take the book.

"Excellent. Here you are," he gave her the book. "Careful. I wouldn't want you to get a paper cut." He chuckled.

Jake took a step forward, enraged by the comment, but Cassandra braced an arm across his chest. "Relax, Jake. I can handle him."

Her words seemed to sooth the tension in the angry cowboys body. Jake took a step away allowing Cassandra room to think.

As she began to read, the numbers appeared in front of her like they always did. They counted up and down and switched positions in sequence. Cassandra was breezing through them when she hit a speed bump and stumbled.

Jake coached her through it. "Cassandra, connect it to a memory." She nodded and went to her go to memory: oranges and breakfast and Jake. Ever since that first day she had associated him with oranges.

She was doing great, then her progressed stopped. "Five…five…ah!" She held a hand to her head. "I can't," Cassandra wobbled, but Jake steadied her. "I gotcha darlin'. Keep going." Jake smiled her favorite smile. The one that crinkled his eyes at the corners and made them sparkle. She found her strength in that moment. Jake stood her up keeping his hands at her waist for support.

The numbers spun faster around her until a few at a time they lined up in the order that she needed them. The answer to the interdimensional travel of the Library was there. "It's pi." Cassandra reported before a white light clouded her vision and she fainted into Jake's arms. "Cassandra? Cassandra, wake up!" Jake pleaded.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I wanted to get this up quick. Reviews are appreciated. Let me know!

"Poor girl. It's a shame she didn't know what she was getting into." Dulaque quipped.

"Neither do you." Jake said darkly.

"Ah, Mr. Stone, I do apologize for Miss Cillian. She was a wonderful help." Dulaque guffawed as he typed in the answer Cassandra had revealed.

The Back Door shimmered with light as the Library connected back to the Annex. "And now the magic will be mine." Dulaque went to enter the Library, but a sudden presence stopped him.

"I don't think so," replied Baird, gun drawn.

"All magical items belong to the Library. Any removal of said items by a non-employee will result in death. Death? Well, that seems a little extreme. What if the person-"

"Not now Flynn!" Baird stressed.

"Right! So what do we do with him?" Asked the scatter-brained librarian. He and his guardian shared a look neither one knowing what to do.

"Leave him to me," called a voice from behind them. A young knight dressed in full amour came forward and held his sword tip to the throat of Dulaque.

"Who are you?" Colonel Baird asked.

"Honestly, Colonel Baird, must I spell it out for you?" He replied.

"Jenkins?"

"Yes," he smiled, "now, I shall dispose of this traitor for you." Jenkins grabbed Dulaque and disappeared in a flash of light.

"That was strange," commented Flynn. He looked at Eve and watched her face distort in fright. She rushed forward to kneel beside Cassandra's motionless body, opposite from Jake.

Her medical training kicked in as she automatically felt for a pulse at the base of Cassandra's head. When Eve's fingers were met with a steady beat, she relaxed a little. "What happened?" She asked.

"Dulaque came in with a way to get the Library back. The only thing he needed was the final answer and some help from Cassandra to get it. She was determined to help to get you guys back. I tried to stop her, but," he paused, "she wouldn't listened. She did the math and right after she got the answer she fainted." Jake could feel the lump in his throat growing.

"She's alive. That's the main thing," Eve reminded him, "but her pulse is dim. Flynn, do you have anything that would help her?" She asked the Librarian. She watched his brain start to work- the gears turning at impressive speeds- as he mumbled his answers.

When he had an idea he shouted, "I got it" and took off for the endless shelves of the Library. Flynn returned a minute later with a blue colored liquid in a fancy vile. "Here," he handed it to Jake who was still holding Cassandra against him, "give her a sip."

Jake tilted her head back to pour the liquid into her mouth. After a few drops, Jake put the lid back on and waited. She didn't stir.

"It could take a while," Flynn spoke up, "she used a lot of energy trying to figure it out."

"She's a strong girl. This won't keep her down." Eve added. "Before we know it she will be talking 90 miles per hour about a topic none of us could even understand, but we listen anyways." She smiled softly at the realistic idea of Cassandra teaching her something new.

"Yeah, I'm sure she will be." Jake said, his voice hollow. His eyes stayed locked on the sleeping girls face. How could this have happened? He was right there to protect her and yet here she was passed out in his arms.

"I wish I knew her half as well as you both seem to," Flynn remarked from his spot next to Baird. "I know she didn't start out on our good sides, but you guys seem to trust her well enough that I believe she is a good person. And she saved my life." Flynn mused as he thought over his LITs and all that had happened in the last eight months. "I don't know about you two, but I trust her."

"I know I do," Eve answered, "it may have been a rough start, but she is the sweetest girl I have ever met." Eve watched Stone, his eyes still on Cassandra, as she spoke. Out of all the members of their team, he was the one who had a hard time trusting anybody. After Cassandra's first impression, they had been at odds with how much they could actually do together without getting into an argument.

Now, as she watched the cowboy hold Cassandra against him in the floor of the Annex, she saw something different. She was even more surprised when he spoke up and answered Flynn's rhetorical question.

"I trust her. I told her that before she did the math for Dulaque." He replied quietly. "I hope she believed me, because it was true. Everything has changed." Jake didn't look up at the Guardian or Librarian as they left his side.

Eve had recognized he needed a moment alone, and she wanted a chance to figure out a plan. She wanted so badly for Cassandra to pull through and be okay, but she was realistic and knew they needed a plan for the off chance that their favorite red-head didn't wake up.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Let me know what you think!

The Annex had never been so quiet. The Librarian and his Guardian walked up to Stone who was still collapsed in the floor with Cassandra. They suggested that they take Cassandra upstairs to the couch they used when researching artifacts.

Flynn tried to help the cowboy carry Cassandra; Jake refused. He picked her up easily, cradling her in his arms as he ascended the stairs. Cassandra was nothing compared to all the hay bales he had moved back home.

Jake laid her down gently on the old couch. The cushions supported her small frame like water holds up a boat. He took the blanket from the back of the couch, draping it across her. Pulling a chair up, Jake took a seat beside her stationary figure.

Baird came up the stairs behind him. "Stone, go home. I can watch her. Get some sleep." She ordered.

"No, thanks. I'm gonna stay here until she wakes up." Jake answered without facing her.

"Stone, if she wakes up I will call you."

" _When_ ," Jake stressed the word, "she wakes up, I'm gonna be right here."

"Jacob," Baird tried to reason with him, but he cut her off.

"Eve, please. I just…I need to stay." Jake pleaded still not meeting her eyes.

Eve was surprised by his use of her first name; he normally would keep it professional between them. Silently agreeing to his terms, Eve patted him on the shoulder and turned back to the stairs.

"Thanks, Baird." Jake called before she walked down the stairs. She didn't miss the weakness in his voice explaining why he never met her eyes.

…..

Late in the night, Baird and Flynn had gone home leaving Jake and Cassandra alone in the Annex. The lights were all off except for a lamp downstairs on the center table and one by the couch where Jake was currently watching Cassandra sleep. He had checked to make sure she was still breathing twice. "You must be tired, darlin'. I ain't never seen someone sleep this much." He joked.

Involuntarily, he took her hand, the contact calming his mood. This wasn't the first time he had held her hand, but this time felt different. This time he wasn't doing to help her; this time he was clasping her hand to help him, because right now he felt exhausted, flimsy, and hollow. He needed to hold onto her to make sure he could still feel something.

"You were great today, Cassie. Without you, Flynn and Baird would still be stuck in the Library," he paused, "but why did you do it?" Jake questioned out loud. "Was it to prove a point to Dulaque? To show him how good you are or who you're loyal to?

"Or was it to prove something to me?" Jake asked her sleeping form. She didn't react to his words like he knew she would if she was awake. Maybe this was better. If she wasn't awake, maybe he could say everything he needed to without an interruption. "To prove that I could trust you because, honestly, that was a stupid reason. You don't have to prove anything, Cassie." Jake brushed his free hand across her forehead to move the small hairs back into place.

"It was my stubbornness that made me push you away and I finally pushed you too far. This is all my fault." Jake wiped a tear from his cheek. He was unaware that he had been crying, or even wanted to cry, until that moment. Jake was never one to show emotions. That was yet again, a trait he inherited from his dear old dad. That was one of the reasons Jake had to leave; he needed to learn to open up and being at the Library for eight months had done wonders for his emotions, his bad temper, and his trust issues.

"I'm the reason you're...hurt. Forgive me, Cassie. This was never my intention.

"They say coma patients can sometimes hear things," he took a breath, then continued, "so if you can hear me, darlin', please wake up. Give me a chance to make this up to you. Let me prove myself, because I promise to protect you from this day forward; if only you would come back to me. Come back to me, Cassie." Jake leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

The action wasn't strange it just felt right. He continued to watch her until his eyes grew heavy and Jake fell asleep; his hand still holding hers.

…..

" _Come back to me, Cassie." The sentence was on repeat. "Come back to me, Cassie." That voice was familiar. "…Cassie." That was her nickname used only by a grumpy, yet endearing cowboy._

 _She had to wake up. This was the first time her mind had worked, telling her she wasn't dead. She had beat the magic deemed impossible, so why wasn't she waking up?_

" _Come back to me, Cassie." The voice repeated. His voice._

" _Remember his name," she told herself. "Say it! Just say it." His name is…_


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This is the last chapter. Let me know what you think!

"Jake!" Cassandra shot up from the couch. She breathed heavily as she took in her surroundings.

She was in the Annex upstairs on the old couch. Cassandra turned to her left to see the sleeping form of Jacob Stone in a chair next to her. He had his arms crossed and his chin rested on his chest. The normally wild cowboy looked peaceful, and she liked it.

Removing the blanket, Cassandra stood easily and placed it over him. She kissed his cheek before she could stop herself. Not wanting to disturb him, Cassandra went downstairs to make coffee hoping Ezekiel had left a bag of her favorite in the pantry.

…

Jake blinked his eyes open, waking from a terrible sleep. He was stretching his arms over his head, when he noticed the empty couch.

Where was she? Was she gone? Did Baird and Flynn move her body, so he wouldn't wake up beside it?

As these thoughts crossed his mind, his hands covered his face and the emotions plainly etched into his features. He was oblivious to the footsteps on the stairs coming from behind him.

"Look whose finally up!" Cassandra acknowledged. "Stone, would you like some coffee?" She asked. He stood quick, but turned slow not trusting his ears. When he saw her, Jake almost didn't believe. "Cassandra?"

"Yes," She smiled, slightly confused.

"You're alive!" Jake rushed to her, picked her up, and twirled her around before she could answer. Cassandra laughed when they twirled and smiled as he squeezed her in a tight hug. "I thought I list you." Jake whispered into her hair.

" _You_ lost me?" Cassandra asked perplexed by his lack of use of the word " _we"_ hinting at all the Librarians.

Jake pulled back to look her in the eye. "Yes. I lost you," Jake confirmed, "I almost lost you before I could apologize to you." Jake gave her a sad smile.

"Well," Cassandra shrugged, "I'm here. What is it you want to say?"

"Cassie," he paused unsure where to start. When he gathered his thoughts he began. "After what you did, I shut down. My whole life has been hiding and lying until I came here. I met you," he took her hands, "and the others and I thought I had found a place where I could be myself and trust someone."

"But then I helped the Brotherhood." Cassandra added looking at the ground.

Jake lifted her chin to see her face. "Yes, but you had good reasons. You thought they could help you. I see that now.

"I shouldn't have pushed you away because you understand me like no one else does. I am so deeply, truly sorry for making you feel like I didn't trust you, because I do."

Cassandra looked surprised by his confession. "Stone-"

"Call me Jake." He interrupted.

"Jake," Cassandra corrected, "when I was asleep, I heard a voice. It said 'Come back to me, Cassie'. That was you," Jake nodded at her accusation, "you brought me back. Thank you." She leaned in to kiss his cheek and lingered a second too long. Jake felt his heartbeat quicken.

Cassandra retreated a little to face him; a force like a magnet wouldn't let her move away.

Jake thought over the last twenty-four hours and found himself afraid: afraid of losing her. Without another thought, Jake placed a hand behind her head and brought her mouth to his. Their lips crashed together like tidal waves against the shore.

The kiss lasted longer than either one expected. Her fingers played with his hair while his arms pulled her against him. In need of a breath, they broke apart and studied the other.

"That was…" Cassandra tried to find her words.

"Strange?" Jake questioned anxiously.

"No! No, it was amazing." Cassandra finished. "The best first kiss a person could have."

"First kiss?" Jake was shocked. Cassandra was a beautiful woman. No one could deny that.

"Yes," she blushed, "apparently a tumor is a turn off to some."

"In that case, come here, darlin'." Jake pulled her close again and captured her mouth with his. This kiss was harder than the first- filled with need.

Jake lifted her slightly from the ground, her toes barely touching, and squeezed her tight. When he stopped kissing her, Cassandra opened her eyes slowly. "I could get used to that."

"Sounds like a plan," Jake smiled her smile; the one he looked best in. He set her back on the ground, but kept his arms around her.

"I'm glad I came back to you." Cassandra told him in a soft voice. She moved her hands to his waist and wrapped him in a tight hug. Her head rested on his chest; the continuous thump of his heart was calming and reminded her that she, miraculously, was still alive.

Jake encircled her with his strong arms, hoping she felt safer, and rubbed her back gently. "Me too, Cassie. Me too."


End file.
